Harris is increasingly worried about Trump’s lead and is changing her campaign strategy

US ELECTION: As Democratic concerns about polls showing her opponent making significant gains increase, Vice President Kamala Harris is adjusting her campaign plan to win over more men and Republicans and stepping up her assaults on Donald Trump.

According to public and private campaign surveys provided by Democratic sources, the Democratic candidate is statistically tied with the Republican former president, Trump, in key states. This has led to a wave of finger-pointing and second-guessing from some quarters.

This is a disappointing time for a fast-moving campaign that began with a massive spike in funds and energy when she took President Joe Biden’s place in July, produced a lively Democratic convention, and was overwhelmingly acclaimed as the victor of her lone debate with Trump.

A top Democratic campaign aide said, “This was always going to be a tight race… That doesn’t mean we’re not losing sleep over it,” expressing the attitude at the White House and the campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, which is consistent with what interviews with funders, staffers, and advisors reveal.

According to one aide, Harris is returning to her prosecutorial stance from July after weeks of concentrating on policy and attempting to establish herself on the national scene. This move is intended to show power to people who could be drawn to Trump’s strongman persona.

She used the unusual move of playing excerpts of Trump’s statements about a “enemy within” America at her rally on Monday night in Erie, Pennsylvania, to support her claim that he is a threat to the nation.

She spoke with Charlamagne the God this week in an attempt to reach Black guys, and she confronted conservatives in a tough interview with Fox News afterwards. Joe Rogan, a well-known podcaster, and his young male fans may be the next.

According to Reuters/Ipsos polls, Harris’ advantage against Trump has shrunk to just three points nationwide from a margin of seven points in late September. Democrats should be especially concerned since Hillary and Trump have statistically deadlocked in the seven key battleground states where the election will be decided.

The polls are becoming narrower as Americans’ concerns about rising food and rent costs persist, and Trump is using more divisive language to play on anxieties about migrants entering the country illegally.

The stock market has just reached all-time highs, and several well-known economists argue that Harris’ proposals will reduce debt and boost economic growth more than Trump’s would. However, surveys indicate that people like Trump more when it comes to the economics, one of the main election themes.

“As she has consistently stated, Kamala Harris is the underdog,” Democratic strategist Anthony Coley stated. “Many people believed that language was only a means of political theater… However, three weeks after she made the first statement in July, it is still accurate.”

Recently, three Trump supporters told Reuters that they were beginning to feel more optimistic about the candidate’s prospects. They attributed this change to the American public’s increased attention on immigration and Trump’s recent flurry of events and rallies.

“I spoke with the campaign over the phone. They have a cautious optimism,” one contributor said.

“We just need to win one of the blue-wall states; it’s very doable,” he said, alluding to Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Winning these states together with Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, and North Carolina would put Trump in the White House.

“This is an election for president of the United States,” Harris said in response to a question about the tight contest on Wednesday. It’s not meant to be simple.”

RACE MARGIN OF ERROR

According to Ipsos/Reuters polling, Harris has decisively reclaimed the middle class and suburban voters that he lost to Trump in the last few months of Biden’s campaign on a national level.

However, according to two people with firsthand knowledge of the situation, internal Harris campaign surveys indicate that she is inside the margin of error in each of the seven battleground states that will decide the victor. According to one source, she is down in Michigan, up slightly in Wisconsin, and tied in Pennsylvania in the most recent batch.

One significant drawback for Harris is that he has less support from males of all races than Biden does. Some Democrats argue that the campaign’s inability to truly connect with local Democrats and its strategy of pushing toward the center is another.

According to Byron Nolen, the mayor of the Detroit suburb of Inkster and the head of the local Democratic club, voter outreach in Michigan has been inadequate. He said he had to request yard signs and other necessities for local voters from the campaign.

“In my brain, they could have done Michigan better,” he said. “We’re still trying to get people excited.”

Others are concerned about Harris’ emphasis on Republicans while ignoring calls from certain Democrats to set herself apart from Biden’s steadfast backing of Israel.

Progressive Democratic politician and former congressman from Rhode Island, Aaron Regunberg, questioned the campaign’s move from declaring, as it did throughout the summer, that “Republicans are weird” regarding Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, to declaring, “Republicans are great; I want them in my cabinet.”

He contends that in order to get greater support, Harris ought to have openly deviated from Biden’s Gaza policy rather than bragging about the backing of Republicans like Alberto Gonzales, a former attorney general under President George W. Johnson.

Democrats want to outspend Trump on internet and television advertisements in addition to carrying out their ground game strategy in each of the seven battleground states. They have plenty of cash in their coffers. Harris does not currently have any intentions to limit her public appearances to the states that are most important.

“We plan to compete globally, broaden the map, and increase the amount of avenues for success,” campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a recent email to volunteers and staff.

While her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, is visiting Wisconsin, western Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Nebraska’s second congressional district this week, Harris is visiting Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. If Walz wins, Harris could receive a single electoral vote that could be very important.

“This is the end game in a close race like 2016 and 2020,” Democratic strategist Donna Brazile said. “I remain cautiously optimistic.”